No excuses!

Okay, all you couch potatoes in need of a little motivation, have I got the guy for you!

Meet John Miller. A 46-year-old “average guy” who just over 11/2 years ago weighed in at a whopping 300 pounds. That’s right, 300 pounds.

But not anymore. He’s now a trim and fit 190 pounds and recently took the CanFit Pro test to become certified as a personal trainer. And he says he strongly believes that anyone fully committed to changing their life can do it.

Miller says he was always “the big, strong kid.” Even at his heaviest he was lifting weights and strength training and never really concerned himself with the numbers on the scale.

“It’s a double standard,” he told me in conversation. “Because I’m a big guy, nobody ever really bugged me about my weight. But I knew something had to be done because my eating was completely out of control.”

Miller is convinced that had it not been for his weightlifting, his health would have become seriously compromised.As it was, he suffered from severe sleep apnea, a condition more common in people who are overweight. The doctors at the sleep clinic he attended told him that most patients with sleep apnea average 75 “events” (when they stop breathing for 20 seconds or more) per night. Miller was experiencing 400 such events.

But it wasn’t even that diagnosis that encouraged him to shed some weight.

What struck a chord in him was the weight-loss reality-TV show The Biggest Loser. “It was that show that literally got me off the couch and motivated me to start my own program.”

The first thing he did was write down everything he ate. “It’s amazing how much you can consume without really realizing it,” he said.

Volume was decidedly his problem. “I was eating massive volumes of food,” he explained.

Miller, who had studied nutrition at Concordia University when he was younger, decided to eliminate simple carbohydrates and processed foods. And he began to exercise.

“I hit the treadmill with a vengeance,” he said.

From August 2006 to May 2007, he shed an amazing 115 pounds. His pant size went from a 42 to a 32-34 and his shirt collars from 19 to 15.

Gone, too, was the sleep apnea. “And I no longer snore like a freight train at night, which makes my girlfriend very happy.”

Miller works out. A lot.

Every day on his lunch hour, he dons a T-shirt and shorts and does the stairs in his downtown office building: all 18 floors, 12 times. Then he goes back to his desk and eats his lunch.

In the evening he goes to the gym for strength training and more cardio.

He admits that his regimen might seem excessive to some people – but not to him. “It gives me incredible energy and it’s what I love to do.”

He says he’s amazed at how many excuses people come up with to avoid exercise.

“People always say they want to work out at lunch with me but they always manage to come up with one excuse or another not to do it.

“But you know what? You have to make the time, because you’re not going to get these years back. People spend a lot of time on the sidelines missing out on their life, and it’s a real shame.”

Here is his advice to people about to embark on the annual January tradition of New Year’s resolutions:“Keep it simple. Strap on a watch, walk out your front door and walk in a straight line.

“Don’t go around the block, because it leads you back home,” he laughed. “Walk for 30 minutes and then go back.”

It doesn’t have to be a race. “Just walk at a pace you’re comfortable with. As you improve, so will your walking.”

It’s that simple.

Miller and his girlfriend (who is about to compete in her first bodybuilding competition at the age of 47) dream about one day opening a fitness centre and helping people who struggle with their weight.

“After all, I’m just an average guy who was once there myself,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to help people and I think now I can.”

Almost Done!

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By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.